Learning to Trust Through Suffering

Scripture Focus

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,

and by night, but I find no rest.

Yet you are holy,

enthroned on the praises of Israel.

In you our fathers trusted;

they trusted, and you delivered them.

To you they cried and were rescued;

in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

But I am a worm and not a man,

scorned by mankind and despised by the people.

All who see me mock me;

they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;

‘He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;

let him rescue him, for he delights in him!’

Yet you are he who took me from the womb;

you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts.

On you was I cast from my birth,

and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

Be not far from me,

for trouble is near,

and there is none to help.”

—Psalm 22:1–11 (ESV)

Devotional Reflection

Psalm 22 begins in anguish. The psalmist feels abandoned by God, mocked by people, and surrounded by enemies. Yet even in his pain, he remembers: “In you our fathers trusted… to you they cried and were rescued.” He clings to the faithfulness of God’s past deliverance while waiting for present help.

This psalm finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus. Hanging on the cross, He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). The Holy One entered into our forsakenness, bearing our sin, so that we might never be abandoned. His suffering opened the way for our salvation.

For us, maturity in Christ means learning to live in this tension—crying out honestly in pain while holding fast to trust in God’s faithfulness. Growth often happens not in seasons of ease but in moments when faith must cling to what feels invisible. As Paul writes, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Romans 5:3–4).

To be mature is not to deny anguish but to bring it fully to God. Like the psalmist, we can lament and still trust. Like Christ, we can suffer and still obey. The way of maturity is the way of the cross—learning to say, “Be not far from me”—and finding that in Christ, God is nearer than we imagined.

Inhale Truth, Exhale Trust

• Inhale: “You are my God.”

• Exhale: “I trust You in my pain.”

Breath Prayer

“Lord, hold me near when I feel forsaken.”

How to Practice a Breath Prayer:

As you breathe in, pray: “Hold me near…”

As you breathe out, pray: “…when I feel forsaken.”

Use this prayer in moments of fear, grief, or loneliness.

Practical Application

• Read Romans 5:3–4 and reflect on how God has used suffering in your past to produce endurance, character, or hope.

• When pain feels overwhelming, write a prayer of lament to God—naming your sorrow honestly and asking Him to draw near.

Journal Prompt

How have I seen God use seasons of suffering to grow maturity in me? Where do I need to trust Him now, even when He feels far away?

Closing Prayer

Lord, in moments of pain, teach me to bring my lament to You. Help me to trust Your faithfulness even when I cannot see it. Thank You for Christ, who entered my forsakenness and secured my hope. Be near to me and strengthen my heart in every trial. Amen.

Invitation

This passage invites you to finish the race by learning to trust God in suffering. Maturity in Christ does not mean the absence of anguish but the presence of faith that clings to Him in the dark, knowing He is faithful and near.